The Congo in Flemish Literature
An Anthology of Flemish Prose on the Congo, 1870s - 1990s
Edited by Luc Renders and Jeroen Dewulf and translated by Grady Tarplee and L. Dulac
First-ever anthology of Flemish Congo prose
This book presents the first anthology of Flemish prose on the Congo, the former colony of Belgium, in English translation. Because of the Dutch language barrier, Flemish literature on the Congo has traditionally remained inaccessible to and thus neglected by international scholarship, as opposed to French or English prose on this part of the African continent. That this particular perspective has thus far remained underexposed, or even disregarded, is all the more regrettable in light of the fact that the vast majority of Belgians who went to work in the African colony came from Flanders. The Congo in Flemish Literature now represents a key step towards filling this lacuna by providing an overview of the different societal attitudes towards the colonial undertaking prevailing in Belgium during and after the colonial era, the way the relationship between Belgium and the Congo changed over time, subject to the zeitgeist and sociopolitical and economic developments, and the individual authors' varying points of view with regard to the colonisation. Flemish Congo prose offers a fascinating glimpse into Belgium’s colonial past and legacy, primarily during the colonial era, but also at the time of its violent aftermath following Congolese independence on 30 June 1960, and well into the following decades.PART 1
THE CONGO IN FLEMISH LITERATURE
1. Flemish Literature
2. The Colonial Era
3. The Postcolonial Period
4. Conclusion
PART 2
SELECTED EXTRACTS OF FLEMISH PROSE
Aldemar-Camille van der Cruyssen
A Peaceful Crusade
Cyriel Buysse
White Depravity
Pieter Danco
A Mini-Europe in the Tropics
Pieter de Mey
A Giant Step for Civilization
Constant De Deken
A Missionary with a Cause
Henri van Booven
No Place for Europeans
Henri Bossaerts
White Injustice
Leo Bittremieux
Light in the Darkness
Ernest Tilemans
True Interracial Love
René Poortmans
Under the Leaden Sun
Jean Gustave Schoup
A Tragic Fate
Adolf Verreet
Paternalistic Benevolence
Bert Nacht
No Place like Home
Alfons Walschap
Inner Conflict
Gerard Walschap
A Humane Approach to Colonization
Jac. Bergeyck
From a Congolese Perspective
Piet van Aken
Cynical Power Struggles
Jan van den Weghe
A Plea for Cooperation
Robrecht De Sadeleer
The Disillusionment of the Colonial
Daisy Ver Boven
Friendship between Black and White
Jef Geeraerts
Paradise Lost
Paul Brondeel
The Agony of a Nobody
Lieve Joris
In Search of the Real Congo
Marcus Leroy
Political Games
List of References
Format: Edited volume - ebook
192 pages
ISBN: 9789461663368
Publication: June 18, 2020
Languages: English
Jeroen Dewulf is Queen Beatrix professor in Dutch Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Luc Renders is professor emeritus of Hasselt University.
Luc Renders is professor emeritus of Hasselt University.
Cependant, Luc Renders et Jeroen Dewulf évitent soigneusement de conférer à cette littérature une cohérence trop factice. Prenant appui sur vingt-quatre extraits et autant d’auteurs qu’ils présentent à chaque fois succinctement, ils témoignent de la diversité des regards portés par ces derniers sur le Congo tout au long du XXe siècle. Loin de donner à voir un aspect uniforme de ces textes, ils nous invitent à les saisir dans leur spéci-ficité, préférant, ce faisant, nous donner accès à des publications jusque-là jamais traduites en anglais, voire en français. Car, et il s’agit là du principal apport de cette anthologie, la vingtaine de traductions qu’ils ren-dent enfin disponibles comptent parmi elles des textes oubliés, sinon inac-cessibles pour des locuteurs non néerlandophones. Dès lors, cette antho-logie est une contribution précieuse aux recherches sur les littératures africaines et elle laisse espérer de plus amples développements critiques sur ce sujet.
Pierre BOIZETTE, Études Littéraires Africaines, n°51 (2021)
Pierre BOIZETTE, Études Littéraires Africaines, n°51 (2021)
That this anthology raises as many questions as it answers is a compliment. Renders and Dewulf have not merely provided Dutch-language texts on the Congo in one place in English, they also have assembled an anthology that unveils much about the nature of Belgium’s colonial experience and how it reverberated in the metropole, all while raising questions as to what this literature means.
Matthew G. Stanard, Can. J. of Netherlandic Studies/Rev. can. d’études néerlandaises 41.1 (2021): 67-71